"The ability, confidence and willingness to engage with quantitative and spatial information to make informed decisions in all aspects of daily living."
A numerate individual has the confidence and awareness to know when and how to apply quantitative and spatial understandings at home, at school, at work or in the community. Quantitative information refers to information that can be measured and expressed as an amount. This includes:
having a sense of the magnitude of numbers
using numbers in real-life situations
estimating amounts
interpreting statistical information
recognizing patterns
determining probability
Spatial information refers to the physical location of objects or people, or the relationship between objects or people. This includes:
understanding shape and space
measuring time, weight, height or amounts
determining location and direction
interpreting and creating maps and schematic diagram
visualizing shapes from different perspectives
Every day we are presented with quantitative or spatial information that needs to be interpreted and used in order to help us make sense of our world. As we go through life, our need for numeracy skills evolves.
Young children develop numeracy as they judge the distance needed to grasp a toy, recognize patterns and routines or learn how to manipulate shapes to complete a puzzle.
Older children use numeracy to play board games, estimate the cost of a purchase with tax, judge how far to kick a ball or determine when to leave to arrive on time.
Young adults require numeracy to interpret sports statistics, navigate their way to a destination, track cellular data usage, or budget to save up for a special purchase.
Adults need numeracy to compare costs, choose a cellphone plan, interpret statistics, park a vehicle, double the ingredients for a recipe or engage in home renovation projects.
What is the relationship between mathematics and numeracy?
Mathematics and numeracy both draw on the same body of mathematical knowledge but they are not the same. School mathematics begins with the study of numbers, patterns, shape, space, statistics and probability and becomes increasingly abstract as students move up in grades. Numeracy involves examining a particular context or situation and drawing on the relevant mathematical understandings to make an informed and personally suitable decision.
Not all mathematics learned in school is used for numeracy. Many mathematical concepts learned in high school, for instance, are the basis for further studies of mathematics or specialized fields of study in post-secondary education. Numeracy is having mathematical understandings and knowing when and how to apply them in everyday situations. Alberta Education defines numeracy as having the ability, confidence and willingness to engage with quantitative and spatial information to make informed decisions in all aspects of daily living.
Numeracy Definition:
"The ability, confidence and willingness to engage with quantitative and spatial information to make informed decisions in all aspects of daily living."
Alberta Education
A numerate individual has the confidence and awareness to know when and how to apply quantitative and spatial understandings at home, at school, at work or in the community.
Quantitative information refers to information that can be measured and expressed as an amount. This includes:
Spatial information refers to the physical location of objects or people, or the relationship between objects or people. This includes:
Every day we are presented with quantitative or spatial information that needs to be interpreted and used in order to help us make sense of our world. As we go through life, our need for numeracy skills evolves.
What is the relationship between mathematics and numeracy?
Mathematics and numeracy both draw on the same body of mathematical knowledge but they are not the same. School mathematics begins with the study of numbers, patterns, shape, space, statistics and probability and becomes increasingly abstract as students move up in grades. Numeracy involves examining a particular context or situation and drawing on the relevant mathematical understandings to make an informed and personally suitable decision.
Not all mathematics learned in school is used for numeracy. Many mathematical concepts learned in high school, for instance, are the basis for further studies of mathematics or specialized fields of study in post-secondary education. Numeracy is having mathematical understandings and knowing when and how to apply them in everyday situations. Alberta Education defines numeracy as having the ability, confidence and willingness to engage with quantitative and spatial information to make informed decisions in all aspects of daily living.